The_Sunday_Times_Travel__21_July_2019

The Sunday Times July 21, 2019 5

Travel 40 Best British Beaches

GETTY; ALAMY

T

he Sunday Times best

British beach guide, now

in its 11th year, is recognised

as the definitive gazetteer of

our seaside resorts. That’s

because, unlike other guides,

I’ve actually visited every

beach on the list, as well as

hundreds more that didn’t

make the cut. It’s a dream gig

— I load up the camper van

and hit the road for a six-week

splurge of sand, surf, chips and

99s — but choosing the top

40 is a complicated process.

I start by selecting only the

cleanest: the Environment

Agency monitors the water

quality at 422 sites, Natural

Resources Wales checks 104,

the Scottish Environment

Protection Agency 86 and

the Northern Ireland

Environment Agency 26.

That’s a total of 638, of which

nearly 90% were classed as

“good” or “excellent”.

I’m mostly interested in

excellent ratings. In a few

cases, a beach classified as

good, or one that hasn’t been

tested, makes the grade, but

only after close inspection.

Obviously, I’m not testing

the water for coliforms, but

if nearby beaches are rated

gulls. I hang around lavatories.

I pester locals, root around

in rockpools and pace back

and forth like a lost dog. I get

distracted by gannets and

rant at people buying blow-up

beach toys, asking if they are

aware that a £9.99 inflatable

turtle could end up, well,

inflating a real turtle as part of

our oceans’ ever-rising tide

of plastic detritus.

Above all, I’m attempting

to detect that little touch of

magic. It’s easy to find if you

know where to look. If you’re

offended because I didn’t

include your favourite beach,

or because I did, my

apologies. And please don’t

buy that inflatable turtle.

Chris Haslam

Chris Haslam was loaned a

VW California Ocean 2.0 TDI,

which costs £57,

(volkswagen-vans.co.uk).

Rental fees run from £630 to

£945 a week, depending on

date (campervantastic.com)

After separating

the good from the bad

and the ugly, I have a

long list of 422. The job

then is to hit the beaches

and start the selection

process. And the tool

for the job is the

Volkswagen California

Ocean. It has a 2-litre engine,

a seven-speed automatic

gearbox, all-wheel drive and

enough torque to flatten a

Cornish hill. It comes with a

kitchen, an outdoor shower,

and you got the hell out. These days, you

want to stay. The Beach (doubles from

£185, B&B; thebeachatbude.co.uk) is a

boutique hotel with sea views; the tiny

Barrel, serving up folk music and beer

from the keg, might be Cornwall’s best

little pub (thebarrelatbude.com); and

the Cerenety Eco Campsite, along the

canal, is a hammock-swinging hippie

dream, with pitches starting at £

(cerenetycampsite.co.uk). Summerleaze

Beach is a cracker: river on the left,

huts from £15 (visitbude.info), beach bar

and tidal swimming pool on the right,

beginner-friendly surf up front.

8 RHOSSILI, GOWER PENINSULA

Daybreak at Rhossili beach, and BBC

Radio Wales is promising a dry, sunny day.

Surfers are trooping over the dunes for

dawn patrol in a rolling swell. To the

south, 2½ miles distant, the Worm’s Head

promontory emerges from Carmarthen

Bay like a sea dragon. By the time the sun

has lit up the ocean, turning lead grey to

dark blue, the first hikers have appeared,

following the Wales Coast Path around

to Oxwich and Mumbles. Such is the

cinematic beauty of this wild Welsh beach

that even at this early hour, you know a

day here isn’t enough. Lucky, then, that

the huge Hillend Campsite is right behind

the dunes (from £21; no bookings taken;

hillendcamping.com).

9 FELIXSTOWE, SUFFOLK

If you’re looking for a seaside town on the

brink of a renaissance — a new Margate,

if you like — try Felixstowe. North of the

good or excellent, and there

are no signs of pollution, then

I’m happy to prioritise beauty

over biochemistry.

Clean water alone does

not make a top 40 beach, of

course. Family beaches need

lifeguards, easy access, good

dining options and pristine

lavatories. For wild beaches,

I need to know where to leave

the car, how safe the approach

and the swimming are, and

whether I can take the dog.

For surfing beaches, when the

wave works best is key,

as are how far I have to

carry my board and what

the vibe is in the break.

After writing this

guide for the past 11

years, I have friends

all over who keep

me up to date with

developments —

and sometimes,

sadly, rule out

their beach due

to pollution

incidents or, as

in the case of

Felixstowe in

2018, the Beast

from the East

stealing all

the sand.

CHIPS FOR BREAKFAST, 6AM

STARTS AND MUGGER GULLS

THE MAKING OF THE SUNDAY

TIMES BEACH GUIDE

FLYING VISITS Chris hit up

to a dozen beaches a day

during his research. Below,

his VW California Ocean

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8

Andalusia is the Spain of our

dreams — the perfect setting

for a four-night travel-writing

course with The Sunday

Times’s chief travel writer,

Chris Haslam. You’ll get off

the tourist trail in Seville,

finding great material for

the two broadsheet-quality

articles you’ll be encouraged

to research and write. Sharing

dinners and workshops with

Chris, you’ll learn how to craft

engaging copy, the pitfalls to

avoid and how best to get

your work published. The trip,

departing on November 1,

includes return flights from

Gatwick to Seville, private

transfers, four nights at the

five-star Casa Palacio de

Carmona, tours and tastings.

Five days start at £1,029pp.

To book, call 0330 160

6495 (quote KN892) or

visit thetimes.co.uk/

AndalusiaWriting

LEARN TO BE A

TRAVEL WRITER

WITH CHRIS HASLAM

IN ANDALUSIA

Expert Traveller

an awning and an upstairs

“bedroom” that goes up at

the touch of a button.

On a good day, with a 6am

start, I can inspect maybe a

dozen beaches and roll into

a site after dark, knowing that

I don’t have to faff around

pitching a tent. I can write up

my notes, unload the bike and

pedal off to the local boozer

for further research.

Inspecting the beaches is a

geeky process. I eat chips for

breakfast and ice cream in the

rain. I photograph car parks

and get mugged by herring

£

£6.